New York Islanders blank Flyers 4-0 in race for playoffs

ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders moved closer to the wild card spot while the Flyers moved closer to prospect Connor Bedard on Saturday as the Islanders routed the Flyers, 4-0.

Heading into the game, the Islanders were tied with the Florida Panthers with 89 points, both fighting for the second wild-card spot. The Flyers were the seventh-worst team, ahead of the Arizona Coyotes by two points.

Both teams started fast. The Flyers out-played the Islanders, but walked into the first intermission down a goal after defenseman Scott Mayfield’s shot found its way through traffic and goalie Carter Hart.

“We have an easy puck to get out; we’re down 1-0 after the first period, which I thought was our best period of the game,” coach John Tortorella said.

The script flipped in the second period, with the Islanders playing a stronger game . They converted that performance into goals while the Flyers still failed to finish. Brock Nelson and Samuel Bolduc each added a goal generated by the Islanders’ rush to give them a 3-0 lead.

Felix Sandström replaced Hart in the third period. The Flyers pushed back but not hard enough. They pressed, but the Islanders still scored when they caught the Flyers slipping. Hudson Faschino added the fourth and final goal on the rush.

“We just can’t sustain,” Tortorella said. “We’re playing in spurts right now.”

The Panthers also won Saturday, so the Islanders remained tied with them. They each have two games left. Meanwhile, the Coyotes won , giving them two points, while the Flyers walked away with none. They are both at 71 points, but the Flyers have three games left to the Coyotes’ two to fall further in the draft order.

The Flyers and Islanders came out like teams trying to make the playoffs, but only one of them actually needed the win. While the Flyers’ playoff hopes died long, long ago, the Islanders are fighting hard.

The Islanders got off to a hot start, quickly taking control of the puck and attacking the net. But the Flyers answered that urgency — and then some. They stormed past the Islanders in shots on goal as well as high-danger chances. While the Islanders took shots, they either missed the net or the Flyers blocked them before they reached Hart.

However, the Islanders’ skill and desperation overpowered the Flyers in the second. They built momentum and maintained it much longer than the Flyers could.

“They didn’t give up too much, and they buried us on their chances,” Travis Sanheim said. “They’re a tough team to play against. They’re fighting for a playoff spot, and you can see that tonight.”

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The league’s worst home power play and the league’s worst away power play were matched up. And it showed.

Not many penalties were called, and not much happened when they were. The Islanders almost scored on their first of two power plays, but the goal was called back because Zach Parise swung and connected with the puck way above the crossbar. Without that goal, the Islanders had just two shots on that power play. They had none on their second.

The Flyers also had two power plays. Cam York had a shot right in front of the net that was stuffed. The Flyers finished with one shot, one blocked shot, and one missed shot. On their second, they had just one shot on goal and struggled to even get set.

The Islanders cranked up the pressure in the second and picked apart the Flyers’ defense, beating the Flyers on rushes and getting to the net. Thanks to his teammates blocking shots, Hart hadn’t faced that many shots up to that point. He stopped the first shot in the second period but then got beat by Nelson, who scored off Noah Dobson’s up-ice pass.

Hart got beat again seven minutes later. Nelson was on the rush but pulled up and instead passed it across the ice to Bolduc. No one was defending Bolduc, and he easily beat Hart.

“We just gave them too much time and space,” Hart said. “Obviously, I want that third one back.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ future down the middle starting to take shape as this season nears its end

When the team came out after its sloppy second period, Sandström headed to the net. Hart said he wasn’t given an explanation for why he was pulled and said he felt he didn’t deserve it.

Tortorella’s explanation after the game: “I just wanted to take him out.”

The Flyers head home to play the Boston Bruins at 6 p.m. Sunday for the back-end of their back-to-back.